I read a lot of posts along the line of “things I would say to my younger self”. I have never read anything about what we could learn by spending time with our young selves. Maybe it would be useful.
So often we think of life as something that moves forward, and so we had best go on from the painful experiences of the past. A friend of mine used to say, “You don’t get any do-overs so you have to go on.”
She was right about not getting do-overs. We must contend with the present and the future. But our past informs our ways of being. If we aren’t aware of how this works, we aren’t very well equipped for our journey.
Recently I had reason to spend a little time with my past self, in a manner of speaking. I spent time this week digitizing some old music that I recorded during my teens and young adulthood. I began writing music early in my teens as an expression of my prayers. I felt timid about my music but was also eager to sing as a way of communicating my faith.
As I got older, I felt that some of my songs were in need of theological refinement. I was right, but the rest of the music remained unchanged.
Sitting with my music this week, I listened to the voice of the young person and heard the emotion behind the recordings in addition to the theology. I let it talk to me about the things that have become important streams in my life.
My young songwriter often wrote about pain. But she also wrote about hope. The two came together in a place where faith was formed.
What does your young self tell you? What choices does that person place before you today?
- Learning From My Younger Self - February 10, 2024
- more reflections on ITD - June 30, 2023
- On travel while at ITD: reflections after day 1 - June 27, 2023
- ITD day 1 - June 27, 2023
- ITD day 1 - June 27, 2023
- Job Descriptions, Inclusivity, and Equity for People with Disabilities - October 15, 2022
- Traveling without a Guide Dog: Experience with Cane and Walker - October 14, 2022
- Disability and Church, Intersection - June 11, 2022
- Review: When Chronic Pain and Illness Take Everything Away - June 11, 2022
- Grammar and Style Resources for Writers - June 9, 2022
As always, you really hit the sweet spot. It’s really hard to know what I would tell my younger self; as you know, my younger self was a bit of a mess. But it’s probably worth some thought.